First Steps

Game Master CRobledo

Vermin listen to the reason the centaurs want the body of the cat and nods. Yes, take this thing and set your people at ease. And thank you for your warning of the cold in the mountains. Your pelts will serve us well should we choose to wander that way.

Hearing that, Harauk wonders back to the small camp and quietly says, There better be nothing else disturbing my sleep tonight...

The rest of the night goes by uneventfully. The next day you get up, and start marching north. The trail is quite a hefty hike, but you are able to make some good progress by noon. Nester, who didn't even get up last night when the Krenshar attacked, is pressing on although obviously hampered by his leg.

the temperature is dropping rapidly as you start your ascent.

Later in the day, as dusk begins, you feel it is time to set up camp soon. However, just a few yards up the mountain, you spy a covered wagon half buried in the snow. When you investigate the wagon, you uncover three frozen humans who have obviously succumbed to cold exposure. With Vermin's survival you can tell these explorers foolishly attempted to cross the mountain pass during the cold season and paid with their lives. It is not the cold season now, but it's starting to get quite cold.

Vermin prepares Goodberry in place of Longstrider this day and collects berries before ascending too high.

Berrys: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4

Upon finding the wagon Vermin first casts Detect Magic and then begins to search for anything useful. Damn fools. He mumbles to himself as he searches.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Its getting dark already. Lets find a safe place to camp. Considering the wagon for a moment he ponders Maybe we can use the wagon for some cover tonight.

Harauk will cast Endure Elements on himself.

Hey, Rester! How ya doin' back there?

Sense Motive (on how he answers): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

To the party: You guys can get all cozy in yer cabin, I am already cozy me'self. Doesn't look like there's a whole lotta room in that wagon. Haha!

Rorgrim shoots the Dwarf a dirty look. I guess I be sleeping with the stinky half-Orc tonight. Freezing may actually be mercy! No offence Vermin!

Fortitude Save with cold weather gear:
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Survival to aide our saves:
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Rorgrim, with his survival check is able to craft an extra set of cold weather gear from the pelts the centaurs gave you. In the wagon you are able to also find a small wood-burning stove and enough wood to last the night. With Rorgrim's survival check he can find all the wood that is not damp, and will burn nicely.

Then, if you are using the wagon to camp:

+2 bonus to fort save for using the wagon.
+2 bonus to fort save for using stove
+5 if you are wearing cold weather gear
+4 for Rorgrim's Survival check, applicable to 6 creatures (all of you!)

3 of the corpses also have cold weather gear on, all for medium creatures.

However the wagon only fits 5 medium creatures...

Nester says "Well, this old man needs a cozy place to rest the night, so I hope you understand if I want to stay the night in the wagon."

Everyone: Let me know how you are preparing for the night, and I'll roll some fort saves for everyone afterwards. (I'll hold Rorgrim's for now)

How about endure elements? Protects down to -50°F with no fort saves required. :p

I don't want to be in the wagon anyway. You guys can all cuddle up.

If Harauk feels like he would still benefit from cold weather gear, he will ask to wear some. Otherwise, he won't.

Yes, if you have endure elements, you don't need a save

The dwarves are always goin on about being tough as stone. Maybe Rorgrim wouldn't mind a night outside either? He can be right outside the wagon and still near the heater.

I suspect Rorgrim has the best fort save of the group.

Vermin gets into his cold weather gear and gets a fire going in the stove and crawls into the wagon.

By the way, if/when we think that the next day will take us out of the cold climate, Harauk will switch his Endure Elements back to Burning Disarm.

If magic can help those standing watch, then rotating one of us to watch outside for 2 hours should not prove too bad if we are in warm clothing otherwise I will leave it for the others.

He readies his bedroll inside the wagon and then stows his stuff outside with nearly military precision.

Josef, being a shepherd used to long hours in the fields, has some ability to prepare for a night like this. He searches around the campsite for anything he can use to build fire, create additional shelter, and reinforce the wagon.

This is a little colder than what I'm used to, but I think I can make do. Some basic tricks for keeping yourself alive never change.

Survival check, rolling 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14...

Of course, "sleeping in the wagon" is one of those timeless survival tricks, so regardless of the outcome of his search, Josef will ultimately make his way there.

I'll volunteer for the first shift. Not really all that sleepy yet.

Very good - wake me if someone decides its my shift.

With that Luccinus bundles himself up as best he can in the wagon and sleeps.

I'll be takin middle watch.. Rorgrim climbs into the wagon.

And wake me for the last watch. Vermin says, already getting comfy in his bedroll. And don't forget to add wood to the stove every hour. Oh, and each of you take one of these berries. He hands a goodberry to both dwarves, Luccinus, and Josef. They can heal ya a little if ya get hurt.

apologies for the delay

Fort saves hour 1: (DC15)
Luccinus 1d20 + 13 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 13 + 4 = 19
Rorgrim 1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 13 + 5 = 38
Vermin 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 13 + 3 = 17
Josef 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 13 + 2 = 27
Harauk - Endure Elements

Vermin takes 1d6 ⇒ 1 non-lethal damage from the cold

Fort saves hour 2: (DC16)
Luccinus 1d20 + 13 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 13 + 4 = 21
Rorgrim 1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 13 + 5 = 27
Vermin 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 13 + 3 = 19
Josef 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 13 + 2 = 16
Harauk - Endure Elements

Josef takes 1d6 ⇒ 3 non-lethal damage from the cold

The guard changes, Rorgrim now outside
Fort saves hour 3: (DC17)
Luccinus 1d20 + 13 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 4 = 31
Rorgrim 1d20 + 9 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 5 = 27
Vermin 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 13 + 3 = 34
Josef 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 13 + 2 = 35
Harauk - Endure Elements

Everyone endures the cold weather

Fort saves hour 4: (DC18)
Luccinus 1d20 + 13 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 13 + 4 = 20
Rorgrim 1d20 + 9 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 9 + 5 = 15
Vermin 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 13 + 3 = 18
Josef 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 13 + 2 = 18
Harauk - Endure Elements

Rorgrim takes 1d6 ⇒ 1 non-lethal damage from the cold

As the morning comes closer, the rest of the night is not as cold and morning finally comes with it's warmth and without any trouble.

Forgot Nester!

1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 13 = 21
1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 13 = 28
1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 13 = 30
1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 13 = 33

He makes it fine.

That was a bunch of rolls

I guess that since Vermin rolled a 1 he auto failed. Since that was hour 1 does he regain that hit point through rest over the rest of the night?

Harauk arises from his sleep, yawns loudly, and says Well, at least we didn't get attacked by a damn panther-thing with no face this time.

I guess that since Vermin rolled a 1 he auto failed. Since that was hour 1 does he regain that hit point through rest over the rest of the night?

We will say yes.

AS the day goes on, you march on north. As the pass winds around a large mountain, you spot a light glinting from a ledge some 50 feet above your current location. It seems static, but it shimmers gracefully, as if beckoning for you to reach it.

Shiny. Vermin thinks. Looking to the group he asks. Would you might my going up to see what that is up there? Should only take a moment?

He will assess the climb, and if no one objects he will strip off his armor try to climb up.

Without his armor I believe he is +9 to climb. Can he take 10?

Without his armor I believe he is +9 to climb. Can he take 10?

Yeah, there is no hurry

You have good instincts friend Vermin - I will keep watch here

Vermin begins to climb, his staff and armor left on the ground, but his club and sickle on his belt.

Take 10 climb =19

Climb, climb, climb, climb. Long way up...

Am I there yet? :)

Climb, climb, climb, climb. This seems longer than 50 feet.

It is a shame Harper is not around to cast grease :P

Blame Paizo, they ate my post from yesterday morning :(

When Vermin gets to the top, he spots a small statue of a woman complete with a nearby shrine resting on the ledge.

The glinting light seen from the path is the sun’s reflection off a number of coins and gems in the shrine’s offering bowl.

Vermin lacks the skills to recognize who the shrine is to, but knows it is a shrine. He calls down to the group below. There is a shrine here to some woman/god. Likely some god of travel or pilgrimage. An offering bowl contains a number of coins and even some gems. I am loth to disturb it. Any ideas?

Vermin looks more closely at the contents and casts a spell. Detect Magic

I wouldn't be taking anything. That may cause sum bad juju!

Detect Magic reveals no magic from the items in the bowl. The statue has a very feint aura to it, but so feint you can't even discern a specific school.

Anyone else could try the knowledge rolls from down at the path with a description from Vermin. Although I'm not sure anyone has those.

It has money? How much? I'm not concerned with some old hag of a statue.

After a quick look-over, Varmin can determine the coins and gems in the offering bowl are worth a total of 585 gp.

A considerable sum Harauk. But I am trusting to my hunch here and that of your fellow dwarf Rogrrim and not taking it. Its a shrine to travelers and after last night I will not intentionally bring back luck upon us by bespoling a shrine to travelers while we still travel these mountains. Vermin begins to climb down. As he does he calls out Bad juju. agreeing with Rorgrim. On a whim, he pauses, digs out a coin, adds it to the bowl, and continues his climb down.

I'll not loot it for you Harauk. I'll not prevent it, but you will have to make the climb yourself.

Well, maybe you're right. But there's no way I'm donating to an inanimate object. Plus, I hate climbing.

Vermin feels a warm fuzzy feeling rushing through his body on the way down.

After another day of travel, you finally are outside the Kortos Mountains. You have entered the swamp that lies between Absalom and Pier's End. Thick blobs of fog dance in between large tickets as the foul stench of swamp gas pollutes the air. Several exotic species of vines twist along the vapor-shrouded path, creating an ethereal seeming tangle. At random intervals, a splash of fetid water sounds in the distance, signaling the presence of frogs or other bog creatures.

Travel through this 6-mile portion of the bog takes 1 day. Here a thick fog coats the ground and marsh waters to a height of 1 foot. The fog does not affect visibility, but because of the thick muck and the many snags and shallow pools hidden by the fog, you face a hazardous journey.

There will be acrobatics checks every hour of travel unless you have creative solutions. Let me know if you'd like to roll every hour or take 10.

Having no creative solutions, Harauk will take his armor off for now and take 10's (for 11 total). If that starts to fail, he'll start rolling them.

Vermin will lead, using Woodland Stride (Move through any natural setting without taking damage or or suffering other impairments) and probing with a spear in front of him to avoid pits and pools and quicksand. If this slows him down, fine. He also ties a rope to himself and passes the end back to the next in line. Tie on with a quick release knot. Leave yourself some slack. Don't want to loose anyone to sinking sands.

using Woodland Stride (Move through any natural setting without taking damage or or suffering other impairments)

I believe this would be at level 2, yes?

Either way, this is more than undergrowth, you would need something more akin to the Swamp Druid's ability:

Swamp Strider (Ex): At 3rd level, a swamp druid suffers no penalty to speed or on Acrobatics or Stealth checks in bogs and undergrowth. This ability replaces trackless step.

Oh, yea. lol. I have been playing this guy for so long I actually forgot he was still first level. Sorry. :) So still consider him tied off and testing the ground with his spear as he moves. Man, I can taste that second level...

And are you taking 10 or rolling acrobatics :)

Which will only give me a 7 wearing medium armor. If that does not work out Vermin will shed his armor too and then have a 12. Acrobatics is NOT a class skill for a druid.

Take off armor & take 10! I think I am 13.

I think Luccinus would at least try once as well

Hour 1:
Vermin: taking 10 - 12
Rorgrim: taking 10 - 13
Harauk: taking 10 - 11
Luccinus: taking 10 - 12
Josef: taking 10 - 12

Harauk dives heads first into the swamp muck!
Fort Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
another roll: 1d100 ⇒ 100

Everyone helps Harauck back up, as he coughs out a bit of the water and grass from the floor.

Hour 2:
Vermin: taking 10 - 12
Rorgrim: taking 10 - 13
Harauk: Acrobatics 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Luccinus: taking 10 - 12
Josef: taking 10 - 12

Harauk once again falls into the swamp. Looks like his dwarven stature was definitely not made for the swamp, although Rorgrim smirks at him every time he falls after not having any trouble himself.
Fort Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
another roll: 1d100 ⇒ 38

waiting to see if anything is changing for the next attempt.

HURRAARRAR BUBHBHBHBH....UGG. Friggin' swamp! Well, it's not any dirtier than the sewers I guess. But it sure is harder to navigate.

Harauk will try to clean himself off a little bit each time.

This seems the opposite of the cold night, LOL.

Also, is Nester ok?